Dividing the Spoils

Land Ho!
Gov. Peter Shumlin is willing to sell the East Montpelier land back to his next-door neighbor for the money he’s put into it, his lawyer said Wednesday.
...
Shumlin bought the property last year for $58,000 from Dodge, who faced losing the home he’d inherited from his parents because of overdue taxes. Friends and family of Dodge recently raised questions about the fairness of the deal for a 16-acre property now assessed at $140,000. They said Dodge, who didn’t finish high school and has been in and out of jail for various misdemeanors, lacked the ability to understand his options.

The unusual deal that Shumlin originally penned on the back of a manila folder, has generated a lot of interest among Vermonters and created an image problem for the governor. Some contend he was a savvy, millionaire real estate developer outfoxing a man who was down on his luck. Shumlin has argued he was responding to a neighbor’s request for help when no one else appeared willing. (Burlington Free Press, 6/7/2013)

OK RedStateVT readers here is a test. What does the sleazy real estate deal of Vermont's Governor remind you of? We'll give you a hint...think Chicago.

That's right, congratulations! The answer is Barack Obama's shady real estate deal with convicted felon Tony Rezko.

Here is an extra credit question. What ELSE does the sleazy real estate deal of Vermont's Governor remind you of? The hint this time is...think the backwoods of Arkansas.

Right again! Bill and Hill Clinton's infamous Whitewater scandal. (No, we haven't let the scandal in which the revered senior statesman of the Democrat party committed adulterous acts with a White House employee make us forget one of the earlier of Bill's many other scandals.)

What IS it with Dems and their shady real estate deals?


Inheritance
Mr. Obama acknowledged that he had hesitations when he inherited the program from George W. Bush, but told reporters that he soon became convinced of its necessity. “You can’t have 100 percent security and also then have 100 percent privacy and zero inconvenience,” he said. “We’re going to have to make some choices as a society.” (NYT, 6/7/2013)

Perhaps the best thing Obama has said as president. We also appreciated it when he added: "And it turns out George Bush and Dick Cheney were right all along." 

OK, we made up that last part.


Robusto
President Obama on Friday offered a robust defense of the government surveillance programs revealed this week, and sought to reassure the public that his administration has not become a Big Brother with eyes and ears throughout the world of online communications. (NYT, 6/7/2013)

This may be nitpicking, but did the New York Times ever refer to a Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld defense of the Patriot Act as a "robust defense?" We don't think so.